Jilted Lovers And Broken Hearts
by cluelessclown
Summary: Twenty-two vignettes of Jim and Pam's relationship, from the moment they met to moving to Austin.


1\. **Stain**

It's Jim's first day at Dunder Mifflin. He doesn't know what to expect, really — he has only had a few part-time jobs after college, and this will be his first full-time one. A serious thing, he had thought while carefully knotting his tie that morning. Little does he know that he will be received by his cheering new boss, a relentless man on his forties who goes by the name of Michael Scott, who insists on being called _Office Daddy _(which Jim doesn't, obviously). He does feel quite at ease in this new office, though — his job, though not exactly fascinating, is quite simple and he assumes he'll grow used to Michael's eccentric behaviour.

However, he does feel quite surprised when, after his lunch break, he sees a young woman sit down at the reception. A moment later, Michael bursts out of his office, a broad smile on his face.

"He-he-hello, Pamalamadingdong!" he exclaims, reaching up to pat the woman's head like a proud father would. "Have you met our new salesman?"

Michael nods towards Jim and he can't help but feel how something tugs at the corners of his mouth as he notices the girl's eyes on him. He stands up and awkwardly walks up to them, the receptionist smiling shyly at him.

"Jim Halpert," he says, sticking out his hand with his characteristic goofy grin now spread across his face.

"Pam Beesly," she answers. He can't help but notice how the corners of her mouth crinkle when she smiles, and how such gesture makes his heart beat only a little bit faster. The girl then looks down at his shirt and points at it in a rather coy way. "You've got this little stain right over there."

_Amazing first impression, Halpert_.

"Goddamn Mac and Cheese. Too good to leave me unstained." He murmurs in his usual joking tone, glancing at her with a quirky expression. "Now I'm cursed forever."

To his delight, Pam giggles and nods a little. "It's understandable if it's Mac and Cheese we're speaking about." And then she adds, in a lower voice. "Enjoy this moment, because you're never going back to this time before you met your desk-mate, Dwight."

Jim's eyebrows rise, but so do the corners of his mouth once again. He can't help but feel like he is _really_ going to enjoy his job.

2\. **Yogurt**

Pam can't help but find the new guy in the office tremendously sweet. She knows she probably shouldn't, being engaged to Roy and hopefully soon to be happily married for the rest of her days, but she still can't help but glance at Jim with a small smile on her face every now and then. The young man has fallen into the habit of walking up to the reception once or twice every day, just to chat with her, and those have slowly turned into Pam's favourite moments of her working hours.

"Hey, Beesly," he says, a smile on his face as he casually places his elbows on the counter, leaning just a little bit forward as he usually does. "This might sound weird, and there's no reason for me to know this, but that mixed-berry yogurt you're about to eat has expired."

She glances down at her yogurt's lid and her eyebrows rise when she realizes Jim is right. "That was . . . totally weird, Halpert. How did you know?"

"I've my secrets, Beesly." He chuckles, winking an eye at her as he speaks. He then moves on to complaining about how Dwight has messed up his files again, but she isn't really listening anymore. She's looking at him with a small smile on her face as she quietly wonders what would it be like to lean just a little closer to him and press her lips against his.

By the time Jim goes back to his desk, Pam is quite sure she wouldn't mind Jim being more than a friend. She will reprimand herself later on — for Christ's sake, she's happily engaged to Roy — but for the time being she smiles shyly and waves the new salesman goodbye.

3\. **Shoulder**

Truth be told, today hasn't been Jim's best day at Dunder Mifflin. In fact, he could easily describe it as _terrible_. He's frustrated, a bit angry even about the fact that Dwight has stolen one of his best sales.

But it all somehow seems to slip away when he feels Pam's head falling quietly onto his shoulder. He smiles ever so lightly, glancing down at her as he listens to her soft snores, which are, to Jim, one of the most endearing sounds on Earth.

"Not a bad day," he whispers as she watches her sleepy face, wishing that would be the first thing to meet his eyes every morning instead of Roy's.

4\. **Casino**

"I'm in love with you."

He doesn't know why he has just said such a thing. Well, of course he does — he's _in love with her_, for God's sake. He's been since he first met her, and he's starting to think that he will always be. What he doesn't know is why now, why in the office's parking lot after a work party. He had never planned it that way.

"I — I'm sorry, what?"

He fumbles a few words, trying to get his thoughts straight. Truth be told, he doesn't even know what he _wants_ to say. Were it up to him, he would probably just ask her to dump Roy and become his girlfriend. But he knows he can't do that — it's been irrational enough to tell her how he feels.

"I just needed you to know," he finally whispers, his gaze dropping at his feet. "Once."

He hears her quietly answering that it's not a good moment. That she's engaged. That she values their friendship. But he can't listen. He feels tears in his eyes and, although he tries to stay collected, he ends up cracking. And there's little he can do, other than walking away. Silent, angry, heartbroken.

Their kiss at the office, unexpected and tender, feels just as bittersweet as their entire relationship.

5\. **Telephone**

Pam can't believe she has stayed up this late, waiting for Michael to finish editing the office's ad. That is why, nearly half-asleep on the counter and distractedly watching a pale flickering security light at the end of the hallway, she nearly hops out of her chair in surprise when she hears the phone ringing. Although that, of course, doesn't prevent her from picking it up.

"Dunder Mifflin Scranton," she answers, her usual plain, secretary tone on.

"Beesly?" asks a rather muffled voice at the other end. She immediately straightens up at the sound of a voice she knows _very_ well.

"Jim." She practically breathes his name out. She hasn't heard his voice for months; it feels reassuring to see that he's still the same. Or at least his voice is, anyway. "How come you're calling this late in the night? Everything all right over there?"

"Uh — long story." She hears someone yelling over the phone, but she decides to relax, seeing that Jim sounds all right. "It's just I — I figured I should call and see how Michael's doing."

"What, at one in the morning?"

"Well, you know. It's never too late to call on such a great boss."

Pam giggles quietly. She doesn't do much giggling lately — in fact, she hardly has laughed at all since Jim left.

"What time is it over there?" She asks, almost gingerly. She doesn't know why, but her heart has started beating a little faster upon realizing that he hasn't hung up yet.

"I think we're in the same timezone, Pam." Oh, _God_, how she missed his soft chuckles.

"Oh, right. Sorry, my bad."

"All right there, Beesly. And as for how everything is going — well, Andy here's freaking out about Call of Duty, but other than that, well, I'm quite alright I guess."

Her smile broadens as he talks about his new boss and a few of his new coworkers. She still misses him as hell, but hearing his voice, his soft laughter and his sarcastic expressions somehow help Pam feel a little bit closer to him — like he never left in the first place. She can almost visualize him, wearing his usual button-up blue shirt and black t-shirt, his shaggy caramel-colored hair poorly arranged — if combed at all — and yet making him look utterly adorable.

It is throughout this telephone conversation, which lasts for a good two hours, when Pam realizes how much she misses Jim Halpert and how she is completely and utterly in love with him.

6\. **Question**

"Hey, Pam — are you free for dinner tonight?"

The question catches her offguard. And apparently it does surprise the cameraman as well, but she isn't focusing on him anymore. Her eyes are fully on Jim — the Jim she had had as her best friend, the Jim she had once kissed, the Jim she had lost and somehow thought she'd never be able to get back. The Jim she had fallen in love with, hopelessly and inevitably.

"Yes. Yes."

"All right. Then it's a date." He closes the door again, his usual lopsided grin only a little bit broader on his face.

Her smile, on the other hand, is so wide the corners of her mouth seem to crinkle up to her eyes.

7\. **Freckles**

"So, how did you like dinner, Beesly?"

They're walking down the park, on their way back from Alfredo's to Pam's. He has insisted on dropping her at her apartment before heading back to his own, showing himself as a true gentleman to the girl he hopes to call his girlfriend soon.

"Pizza was excellent," she nods. "And the place was lovely, too."

"Yeah, Alfredo's really cozy and all. Great way to impress girls." he jokes, smiling just a bit cheekily.

"Oh, so do you usually bring your dates here?" She counters, a playful smile on her face. "How _nice_ of you to say that, Halpert."

"Sorry, Beesly." He laughs, although they both know the other's joking. That's probably what Jim likes the most about Pam — they both understand each other perfectly, just as if they had been born to find each other and stay together. As cheesy as it may sound, Jim can't help but think that he would be pretty content about spending the rest of his life with Pam Beesly, even when they aren't properly dating yet.

"Hey, look at that," she says a little while later, lifting his eyesight to the starry sky above them. "The sky's beautiful tonight."

"Yeah. It is definitely beautiful." He whispers. But instead of the stars above them, he decides to watch the little freckles on her nose, which are a hundred times more beautiful to him.

When she notices he's looking at her, she can't help but blush a little bit, which only helps Jim find her even more endearing.

"Have you ever noticed," he says, pointing carefully at the little freckles over her nose. "That those kind of resemble a few constellations up there?"

"Really? I just kind of hate my freckles." She sighs, shaking her head.

He remains silent for a moment, in which he quietly stares at her beautiful freckles, nose and eyes with a small smile on his face. Had it been a few weeks earlier, he wouldn't have dared open his mouth, but everything is different now. He is single, she is single — and most importantly, he now knows that he has a chance to win Pam Beesly's heart. Little does he know that he already has it, and that in fact it has been his alone for a long time now.

"Well, I think your freckles are quite lovely, Pam Beesly," he whispers, his face leaning just a little bit closer to hers.

A faint smile appears on Pam's face as she carefully rubs her thumb against the back of his hand. "Now do you, Halpert?"

"I most definitely do, yes. In fact, they're the loveliest freckles I've ever seen. And trust me, I've like, three masters on freckles and freckle-ness."

She giggles. He chuckles.

And their first kiss as a couple smells of pizza, pine trees and sheer happiness.

8\. **Cinema**

"Do you still think this is a good idea, Jim?"

"Well, absolutely. I haven't been to the movies in _ages_, and we definitely had to see this one."

"I don't know — it sounds a bit _weird_."_  
_

"Does it? Well there's Adrien Brody in it. It should be good."

Pam rolls her eyes as they sit on their seats, but she can't help but smile at the sight of Jim looking all jolly as he munches his popcorn excitedly. They have been dating for a good three months now, and _in love_ wouldn't even begin to cover how Pam feels about him. She knows Jim is pretty much head over heels for her — but the thing is, she feels like what they feel is more than merely loving each other. They click perfectly; looking back at it, Pam can't really believe she has found someone she matches so perfectly.

She watches the movie distractedly, smiling every now and then and discreetly cuddling into Jim's shoulder. He can't help but smile at this and wraps an arm around her shoulders, his cheek against the top of her head as they quietly observe the scenes speeding by. _Loved that scene_, the smile on his face tells her every now and then. Pam particularly loves how they don't always need to talk in order to communicate with each other — they can speak within glances shot at each other in the office, or small smiles whenever they meet up at the vending machine and with a few of their coworkers still around. She had never managed to feel this way around Roy — sure, she had liked him and he hadn't been all that terrible a partner, but they just hadn't clicked the way they should have.

She and Jim, on the other hand, are simply meant to be.

"Jim?"

"Yeah."

She considers glancing at him and telling him with her eyes as they usually do at the office, but just for today she leans a little bit closer to him and presses a soft kiss against his cheek as she murmurs, "I love you."

9\. **Snowfall**

The Dunder Mifflin workers are surprised on an early December morning by a call from their boss, through which he very sadly explains that the office will be closed that day because of the large amount of snow covering the streets of Scranton.

"Pam," yawns Jim as he cuddles back into bed, shaking his girlfriend a little. Although they don't really live together yet, she's been spending a few nights in a row with him — which makes Jim feel delighted, of course. "Babe, we're off work today."

He expects her to say something, but instead she just nuzzles onto his shirt, still fast asleep. He smiles, resting his chin on the top of her head and closing his eyes. If he had been told a few months ago that he would be lying on his bed with the girl he had been in love with for around five years now, he simply wouldn't have believed it. And yet he is now holding her in his arms, feeling like he's the luckiest man on Earth.

"I'm so freaking happy to have you." He mumbles, smiling to himself.

A moment later, he feels how a pair of lips press a lazy kiss onto his chest.

"Me too," Pam yawns, cuddling a little bit closer to him. "But it's snowing outside and we should completely forget about going outside for today."

Jim smiles. "Yeah, I agree. We should totally stay in bed for the rest of the day."

"That's the man I've chosen to love," Pam giggles, still all sleepy. And with that, she quietly dozes off to sleep again, the tips of her fingers lazily brushing against the hem of his shirt. He smiles, pressing a kiss to her forehead before he yawns again.

Damn, he really is lucky to have her.

10\. **Dance**

"I can't believe Michael actually organised this," Jim chuckles, looking around him. "I mean, this look like a high school prom or something."

"Come on, prom wasn't that bad," pouts Pam, tugging on the sleeve of his shirt. "I mean, I went to mine with some guy I never really talked to again, but whatever."

They're both standing in a large room at the office with their fellow coworkers. Michael has set up a stereo and music has been playing for a few minutes now. No one really knows why, but their boss has decided to give them a few hours off in this newly found room and allow them to enjoy themselves before returning to work.

"From the music that's been playing for the last few minutes," sighs Jim. "I guess this _really _is going to be pretty much like my senior prom."

"Really?" Pam's eyebrows rise curiously. "How was your prom?"

"Oh, it sucked, thank you."

Pam giggles. "Come on, it couldn't have been that bad. Didn't you get a date?"

"Oh, sure I did." says Jim, as if the fact that he had had a date to prom was completely obvious. "But she turned out as some crazy weirdo who tried to shove her dad's booze down her throat when the dance had just begun."

"Oh, God." Pam pulls a face.

"Yeah, that's what I said." chuckles Jim. When _Total eclipse of the heart_ comes on, he immediately rolls his eyes in disbelief. "Come on, what is this, 1992?"

"Hey! Shut up, I used to love this song." protests Pam. "It's really cute."

"Whatever," Jim sighs, but when he sees how his girlfriend's eyebrows rise he chuckles a little and offers her his hand. "Would you mind a dance, miss Beesly?"

"Of course not, Mr. Halpert," she says jokingly as she takes his hand, giggling a little as Jim pulls her closer and places the other hand on her waist. They both start dancing, timidly swaying back and forth to the rhythm of the song.

"You know, this ain't that bad after all." Jim admits, his thumb stroking Pam's waist gently.

"Nope," agrees Pam, smiling. "Not bad at all."

11\. **Trip**

"I can't believe you've brought me here on our six-month anniversary."

"What? I mean, it's not like were back in Schrute Farm or anything."

"Yes, but I've never been a Hamptons kind of girl, Jim."

"Come on, it'll be nice."

It's early September and Jim has just placed a checkered mantlepiece on the sand, their lunch basket atop of it. He wriggles his eyebrows, smiling, and when his girlfriend raises her eyebrows as though questioning the look on his face, he takes her hand and tries to make her sit down next to him in a rather childish manner. When she finally sits down next to him, he curls his feet as he starts tracing distracted patterns on the sand.

"At least we've got our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."

"PB&amp;J," chuckles Jim, shaking his head. "Sounds like one of Kevin's jokes."

Pam nods while she grabs one of the sandwiches, taking a bite and smiling afterwards. "You know," she says while licking the crumbs off her lips. "This place isn't that bad after all." She snuggles a bit closer to him, her head resting on his shoulder.

Jim smiles at the gesture. "Told you, PB."

When he starts picking up their stuff a little later, he notices that someone has carved a small heart around the "PB&amp;J" sticker on the peanut butter and jelly jar.

12\. **Rain**

When she notices he's gotten down on one knee in the middle of a service station when they were simply ought to meet for a short while until she returns to Pratt Institute, she can't help but feel how her heart starts racing uncontrollably.

"I love you," Jim says as he opens as small velvet box that has been resting in his pocket for a year now. "Will you marry me?"

At first she isn't able to say a word, simply because her eyes are filling with tears and her throat is all tight from excitement. But after a few moments, she faintly nods and a wide smile spreads across her face.

Their first kiss as an engaged couple tastes of rain, chips and excitement.

13\. **Surprise**

Jim has been biting his nails for a good twenty minutes when the doctor calls him back inside.

"What's it, doctor?" He asks nervously, his brow furrowing at the small smile on Pam's face. "She's okay, right?"

"Oh, she is perfectly well," says the doctor, a kind smile on his face. "For a two-month pregnancy. Congratulations, Mr. Halpert."

For a few seconds, Jim can do nothing but stare at the doctor, blinking repeatedly and trying to digest what he has just said. He finally turns to look at Pam, whose smile has broadened into a whole-hearted grin. "We're having a baby, Jim."

"We're having a baby," he repeats as a smile starts creeping up his face. "We're going to be parents. I'm — Oh, God, I'm going to be a Dad!"

And he hugs her tightly, pressing a kiss to her forehead, to her lips, to her nose. Tears of excitement well up in his eyes, and for a few moments he feels like the happiest man on Earth.

Little does he know that such feeling of sheer happiness will stretch for what will be the rest of his life.

14\. **Waterfall**

They ultimately say "screw it" and decide to get married in Niagara Falls. They know that it is not what they're ought to do, and that their friends will get mad at them if they find out. But heck, it's Jim and Pam's wedding, not theirs. And besides, they can still please them with some fake church ceremony back in Scranton.

And so their first kiss as a married couple, with small Niagaran waterdrops splashing against their faces, feels a thousand times better knowing that it is only theirs.

15\. **Wall Painting**

"Do you think blue will do?"

"Yeah, I like blue. It's quite gender-neutral."

Pam places a hand atop of her slightly bulged belly as she watches how Jim dips the roller into a light blue paint bucket. She would be doing it herself, but her pregnancy is coming to one of the latest stages and she can't really stand up for more than fifteen minutes straight. Instead, she's taken a chair from the kitchen, observing how her husband attempts (and fails, in a rather cute manner) to paint what will be their upcoming child's bedroom. He leaves blotches of paint practically everywhere and, although she knows he is messing up, she can't help but find his attempt at art completely endearing.

"You can always top my masterpiece with all these cool patterns and drawings you usually do," chuckles Jim.

"Yeah, I'll think about it." She giggles, shaking her head. She gazes down at her belly with a faint smile and whispers ever so lightly. "Baby, your dad is one great man, but he really can't do artistic stuff."

"Hey, what was that!" Jim protests. "I can do art. I used to get . . . B's in Art back in middle school."

Pam giggles, shaking her head. However, her mocking expression becomes one of wonder when she feels how the little baby inside her starts kicking against the walls of her belly.

"Jim, it's kicking!" She whispers, grinning.

"What! Really?" Jim immediately drops the roller and places his smeary, bluish hand on top of her belly. When he feels how his child — _their child_ — kicks once again, a broad grin sets on his face.

"God, the kid's a fighter," he chuckles, an incredulous smile on his face as he gently rubs his thumb against Pam's bulging stomach. He then leans a little forward and whispers. "We're getting everything set up for you, kiddo. Please don't be too mean to mommy whenever you decide to come out." And with that, he presses a soft kiss against Pam's stomach and glances up at her again, only to find her eyes filled with tears. "What's wrong, babe?"

"Oh, it's just the hormones, you know," she jokes, biting her lower lip. "You're going to be one great dad, Jim."

"And you'll be one great mom." Jim smiles as he rubs his thumb against Pam's belly. He really hopes he will be a good dad. For Pam, for their baby. For the family they've founded together. But, though uncertain about it, something tells him that everything will be fine.

16\. **Hospital**

Jim places his free hand on his forehead as he listens to his wife's ceaseless yelling. Her hand is squeezing his — so firmly, in fact, that he thinks it might explode anytime. Not that he minds, of course. He's just as anxious as she is.

"Nearly there, Mrs. Halpert!" announces the obstetrician.

When Jim hears a faint shriek coming from between his wife's limbs and watches how the doctor carefully scoots up a reddish, wrinkled newborn baby, he can't help but sigh in relief and wonder as he observes his little daughter's fingers curling, as though attempting to grasp thin air.

"How is she?" Pam whispers, still panting slowly.

Jim brushes a few beads of sweat from her forehead and grins.

"She's the most beautiful thing in the world."

17\. **Shrieks**

Pam groans when the sound of Cece's shrieks reaches their bedroom at two in the morning.

"Your turn, Jim." She murmurs, nudging him lightly.

"That's not fair." He says, half-groaning, half-yawning. "I signed up to be a little kid's dad, not a gargoyle's."

"Jim!" She nudges him, a bit harder. "Don't say that about our daughter."

"Only joking, babe."

He stands up and groggily walks over to Cece's nursery room. Pam has decorated the walls with small paintings of all sorts of animals — particularly elephants, dogs and rabbits, which are their infant daughter's favourite amongst all her plushies. Cece is only six months old, but she's proved herself as a witty, curious infant by mumbling what Jim believes to be her first words (although Pam didn't share his opinion on their daughter's 'gaaaa's and 'oooo's). There were already crisps of blond hair on her scalp, and her eyes were a dark green, just like Jim's.

"Heeeey, little one," he whispers as he scoops his baby daughter into his arms. Cece seems to calm down at her father's embrace, but she still wriggles her hands and shrieks nervously. "What's the matter with you?" He tickles her tummy lightly, and Cece immediately seems to turn her nervous shriek to a fit of giggles. Jim smiles proudly. "Well, there we've got you! Who needs a dummy when you've got your Papa's tickles?" He scoots her up and down, Cece giggling happily and even clapping her hands.

When he turns around, he finds Pam watching them from the doorway.

"You know, I don't think I've ever told you," she says, her eyes almost glowing with happiness. "But you look adorable with a child in your arms."

"Not just any child," he corrects her, raising his eyebrows. "Our beautiful baby girl. Am I right, Cece?"

Their daughter giggles in response, and Pam smiles. How can she not, when she has got the most wonderful family in the world?

18\. **Christmas**

Jim thinks Cece looks completely adorable with her new Santa Claus hat. Pam, on the other hand, thinks it's hideous. But since their daughter seems to love it, she doesn't say a world.

"Look at that, our first Christmas with her," Jim says as he watches how Cece plays with a stuffed bear and a set of Disney character plushies, which have been her first Christmas present. "She's really into Donald Duck, isn't she?"

"Yeah, he's her favourite. Haven't you seen her trying to gurgle the same things he says?" Pam jokes.

"Hm . . . well, it's not a Donald Duck plushie, but I got something for you too." Jim smiles half-crookedly as he reaches out for a small package he hid under their Christmas tree the previous night.

"Oh, really? What a coincidence, because I got you something too." Pam counters as she hands him over a slightly larger gift box.

They exchange presents and open them excitedly. Jim's is a new baseball glove and a Red Sox baseball signed by the team's best player of the year — Pam got it when they visited Jim's parents in Boston — and Pam's is a book of oil paintings of the Italian Renaissance and a new set of acrylics. They both grin at each other and, although Pam is the first one to lean over to kiss her husband, Jim enjoyes the feeling just as much. They're interrupted by their daughter tossing her Minnie plushie at them, which makes Jim chuckle against his wife's lips.

"What a kiddo," he whispers. He then grabs the plushie and starts speaking with a high-pitched, ridiculous voice that makes both Pam and Cece laugh. "_Oh, dear me! Where's my beloved Mickey?_"

Pam observes how he and Cece start playing with the plushies. He was always so eager to play with their daughter, so happy to spend all of his spare time with them. And with that she realises that she couldn't be any luckier than she already is.

19\. **Brother**

When Jim and Pam learn they're expecting their second baby, they react almost as thrillingly as the first time they found out they were having a baby. Cece, however, does not seem all too keen on the prospect.

"Come on, Cee, it'll be fun to have a baby brother or sister." Jim says, stroking his daughter's curly blond hair.

"A don't wanna, Papa." The toddler protests, crossing her arms and furrowing her little, yellowy brow.

"But you'll be able to play with them and take care of them and have tons of fun, dearie." Pam adds.

"Nope. Still don't wanna, Mommy." Cece shakes her head and resumes her playing with her favourite toys — the Disney plushes her parents gave to her as her first Christmas present two years ago.

"The kid's stubborn." Jim chuckles. He rubs his little daughter's shoulder, and when she looks up he grins at her. "Tell you what, kiddo. If you have a baby sibling you'll get to play with their toys as well. Which means that those little fellas of yours will have friends. And you'll be able to play with someone else, too. Cause it must be really boring not to have anyone around when you get back from school, right?" He winks an eye at her in an attempt to make their daughter change her mind.

Cece taps her chin lightly in a thoughtful way. "Daisy says she's gotta big broo-da that they play togetha."

"See? It's good fun." Pam nods. "So would you like to have a little baby brother or sister, Cee?"

Cece takes her time to reply, but ultimately nods. Jim grins broadly and scoops his daughter into his arms, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I'm sure my baby girl's going to be one great big sister."

"Am gonna give my broo-da or sista cornflakes everyday!" Cece announces proudly as she clings onto her father's neck.

Both Jim and Pam laugh at this.

20\. **Therapy**

The last few months have been . . . weird, to say the least. First there was this Cathy girl, then Jim working in Philadelphia. Pam thought she couldn't stand it anymore, and yet here they are. Together. Because they want to fix whichever is their problem, because they love each other. And nothing will change that. But therapy doesn't feel enough to Jim. He needs to fix this by his own means, slowly and steadily.

They never slept with their backs against each other before, but tonight Pam's back is turned on him. Slowly, he starts tracing a soft line on her side with the tip of his index finger. When he hears her mumble something, he presses a soft kiss to her nape.

"I love you," he whispers before closing his eyes again.

Maybe not tonight, or tomorrow. But Jim knows that they will ultimately be all right.

21\. **Austin**

"Are you sure we're going to be fine?" Pam asks nervously as Jim picks up their luggage. They have just arrived to Austin, where Jim will work as the new President of New Acquisitions and she will start a career as a mural painter. She's carrying Philip in her arms, while Cece is enjoying a piggyback ride from her Dad.

"Have you _seen_ this place? Come on, this is totally incredible." He says, smiling. "Besides, we still need to plan out a couple of trips to San Antonio and Houston before this little girl starts school."

When Jim carefully drops Cece at the front of their new house, Pam eyes her husband again. "Jim, seriously. Do you think this is a good idea? I mean, we did fine in Scranton. Now we're miles away from everyone we know."

"And that's just what I wanted," he replies, shrugging his arms. "Because, as much as I love everyone in Scranton, you three are my family. And a fresh start seemed like the best idea."

Pam smiles a little as she watches how little Philip crawls his way to his sister, who greets him by clapping her hands enthusiastically.

"I think you could be right." She finally nods. "You three are all I need to be happy. The rest is just . . . whatever, really."

"Whatever. All right, Beesly." Jim chuckles.

"You know, it's been ages since you last called me Beesly, Halpert."

"Really? Well, I might start doing that again."

When she hears her soft giggle, he feels like not a single second has gone by since they first met, over nine years ago. Her laugh is just as endearing, her eyes glow in the same sweet yet fiery way, and her smile still makes his heart flutter. He's starting to think that he will feel this way until the very last day of his life.

And the truth is, he couldn't be happier about such prospect.

22\. **Love**

"Jim?" She whispers. It's August, which means the Texan weather couldn't be harsher. And yet, they're both perfectly cuddled against each other, like they would do on rainy nights or freezing afternoons back in Scranton.

"Yeah?" He mumbles, half-asleep.

"I love you."

Jim smiles.

"I love you too, Pam. I really do. And I love our children and our new house and everything that we do together. But yes, most importantly, I love you."

She remains silent for a few moments, and then finally whispers. "I can't wait to grow old with you."

Jim's sleepy expression turns into a grin. "Neither can I, love."

And with that, both of them doze off to sleep with broad smiles on their faces.

**Well, well, that was long. How did you like it? I hope it was all right — it took me _hell_ to write this thing. But now it's done. Yay! Anyway, please let me know how you feel about it via review. I might write more The Office fanfiction soon, so stay tuned!**

**-cluelessclown.**


End file.
